NORDIC FIRE | Arctic | Eldbjørg Hemsing

Eldbjørg Hemsing

One of the most charismatic and leading young violinists on the international scene today, Eldbjørg Hemsing is acclaimed for her “radiant and sophisticated performances” (BBC Music Magazine) and is a musician committed to bringing her art form to new and emerging audiences across the globe. Her international career took off quickly, leading to three award-winning albums and world premières of numerous compositions in many of the greatest halls of the world.

The 2022/23 season sees her debuts with the Philharmonia Orchestra under the baton of Santtu-Matias Rouvali, the Belgian National Orchestra and a performance at the Philharmonie de Paris with Orchestre National d’Île de France and Anu Tali during their extended tour of France. A devoted chamber musician, she has recently begun a long-term chamber music partnership with cellist Daniel Müller-Schott and pianist Martin Stadtfeld, and the ‘Hemsing-Müller-Schott-Stadtfeld Trio’ already has a highly successful tour behind them, with a new tour planned for January 2023. Recent highlights include performances of Anders Hillborg’s Violin Concerto No. 2 with Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and her debut at Concertgebouw Amsterdam playing the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in E minor as part of the VriendenLoterij ZomerConcerten. Eldbjørg Hemsing regularly collaborates with orchestras such as Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, Bergen Philharmonic, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, Shanghai and Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestras, and is a welcome guest at prestigious venues such as Lincoln Center New York, the Kennedy Center Washington, Wigmore Hall, Verbier Festival and the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. She has also performed at numerous major global events and venues such as the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Oslo, United Nations, Shanghai Expo, and the UN Security Council. She has developed a close collaboration with the composer Tan Dun with whom she has premiered, toured, and recorded several award-winning works. She is a passionate speaker on the power of classical music beyond its traditional borders.

In July 2021, Hemsing signed an exclusive recording agreement with Sony Classical and her first album entitled “Arctic”, to be released in February 2023, will be devoted to the rich natural soundscapes of the Arctic. Her current discography of critically acclaimed recordings includes an album of Grieg's violin sonatas on BIS, which won the Spellemann Prize in Norway as Recording of the Year 2020. Her second album, Fire Ritual, centersaround Tan Dun’s Violin Concerto, composed for and premiered by Eldbjørg Hemsing, and her debut album in 2018 featured Hjalmar Borgström’s Violin Concerto and Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1, recorded with the Wiener Symphoniker and Olari Elts.

A musical entrepreneur, Ms. Hemsing is actively involved in a multitude of projects, all rooted in her passionate interest to bring classical music to a more mainstream audience. As Senior Artistic Advisor of the prestigious global research firm Advisory Board for the Arts she spearheads ventures to bring transformative thinking to arts organisations and artists. She co-founded the Hemsing Festival and is the Artistic Director of the SPIRE, an innovative annual competition to promote and nurture young artists in their artistic and personal self-development in the classical music world. Born in Valdres, Norway, Eldbjørg Hemsing studied at the prestigious Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo and with Professor Boris Kuschnir in Vienna. She plays a 1707 Antonio Stradivari 'Rivaz, Baron Gutmann' violin, on loan from the Dextra Musica Foundation.